A conventional mausoleum is constructed of concrete and comprises a subdivided vault defining burial chambers therein. A burial casket, usually made of wood, is inserted through an opening in one wall of the mausoleum into one of these chambers, and the chamber is then sealed with a marble face plate, upon which the names and dates of the deceased will be inscribed or affixed.
This traditional type of mausoleum is disadvantageous in a number of respects. In particular, the caskets tend to deteriorate over time and emit body fluids and gases. Accordingly, adequate venting and drainage systems must be incorporated into the mausoleum to remove the fluids and gases and to prevent perceptible leakage of odorous fluids and gases from the mausoleum. Further, conventional mausoleums are relatively expensive to construct. A conventional mausoleum employs a honeycomb construction including top, bottom and side walls for each burial chamber, thus requiring large quantities of materials. Examples of such conventional mausoleums are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 892,458, to Sparks, issued July 7, 1908; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,453,375, to Allen, issued May 1, 1923; U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,308, to Jones, issued Oct. 19, 1976; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,627, to Booth, issued Sept. 7, 1976.
Alternative mausoleum systems are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,100, issued to DiGiovanni, Jr., on Feb. 14, 1978 describes a mausoleum utilizing a plurality of preformed, molded, fiberglass or plastic crypts interlocked at respective crypt corners to form stacks.
Another example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,406,192 issued to Kennedy on Feb. 14, 1922 wherein a sectional enclosure formed of vertically disposed I-beams coupled to horizontal parallel crossbars receives caskets on respective pairs of rails disposed between the respective crossbars.
However, such alternative mausoleum system construction are disadvantageous in that they require excessive quantities of materials and/or fail to prevent crypt leakage.
In addition, burial caskets formed of concrete or plastic with reinforcing members embedded in the bottom and sides thereof projecting laterally outward from the sides of the casket are known. Such a casket is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,026,044 issued to Little on May 14, 1912. Burial vaults including a base and a cover molded from a plastic resinous material are also known. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,220 issued on Mar. 3, 1982 to Work.